Raymond Burke

Raymond Leo Burke (June 30, 1948-) is an American Cardinal, Bishop Emeritus of La Crosse, Archbishop Emeritus of St. Louis, Prefect Emeritus of the Apostolic Signatura and Patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. He is known for his conservative views and is a champion of Traditionalist Catholicism.

Biography
Raymond Burke was born in Richland Center, Wisconsin in 1948 as the youngest of six children in an Irish-American family whose ancestors are from Cork and Tipperary. His father died when he was eight years old. Burke attended St. Mary’s Parish School from 1954 until 1959 when he and his family moved to Stratford, Wisconsin. He attended Holy Cross Seminary from 1962 to 1968. From 1968 to 1971, Burke studied at the Catholic University of America, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy in 1970 and a Master of Arts degree in philosophy in 1971. He completed his studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome from 1971 to 1975. He was ordained on June 29, 1975. He was assistant rector of the Cathedral of St. Joseph the Workmanin La Crosse, Wisconsin and taught religion at Aquinas High School. He studied canon law at the Pontifical Gregorian University from 1980 to 1984. In 1994, Pope John Paul II named Burke as Bishop of La Crosse, Wisconsin. In 2003, Burke became Archbishop of St. Louis. In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI named Raymond Burke as Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura and in 2010, Burke was made a Cardinal. In 2014, Pope Francis made him Patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.